Varennes-sur-Allier
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink.
Partly served 50.6/100 · confidence: medium· Better served than 55 % of the {n|commune|communes} of a similar size.
Identity
Varennes-sur-Allier (INSEE 03298) is in Allier (03), part of CC Entr'Allier Besbre et Loire. Population 3,549 (2023). [1]
INSEE density class: Bourgs ruraux (level 5). [2]
Data vintages: INSEE BPE 2025 · INSEE SIRENE 2026-09 · INSEE census (RP) 2023 · INSEE COG 2026 · INSEE density grid 2026 · Commune website 2026-10-24 · DATAtourisme 2026-10-22.
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/03298-varennes-sur-allier
Vitality score
Vitality score 50.6/100 — Partly served (model fr-v0.2).
Confidence: medium (sources disagree on Restaurant).
Better served than 55 % of the 6,210 communes of a similar size.
Compare this with communes of a similar size. The score measures how well a place is served relative to its own size band, and larger communes score higher as a rule — so it reads meaningfully against another village, and misleadingly against a town.
Measured but not scored in this model: Market. See the methodology for why.
| Component | Value (0–1) | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily food | 0.42 | 25 | 10.39 |
| Social | 0.77 | 20 | 15.4 |
| Education | 0.39 | 10 | 3.93 |
| Health | 0.43 | 10 | 4.27 |
| Public & culture | 0.22 | 5 | 1.11 |
| Population trend | 0.3 | 10 | 3.04 |
| Housing mix | 0.98 | 5 | 4.91 |
Services
What is here, at a glance
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink. [3,4]
4 × Bakery (boulangerie) (CEREALE ATTITUDE · DOUCEURS VARENNOISES). [3,4]
1 × Butcher (boucherie) (BOUCHERIE NARBOUX). [3,4]
2 × Supermarket (LIDL · CARREFOUR MARKET). [3,4]
7 × Restaurant (LE DAUPHIN · LA REGALETTE · PIZZA PARMA · STELIN · SO GOOD SANDWICHS). [3,4]
5 × Café / bar (BAR BALKAN GRILL · CHEZ JEROME · LES LANDIERS · THE BOX). [4]
2 × Nursery school (maternelle) (ECOLE MATERNELLE PUBLIQUE LES 4 VENTS · ECOLE MATERNELLE PUBLIQUE LES 2 ERABLES). [3]
1 × Primary school (élémentaire) (ECOLE ELEMENTAIRE PUBLIQUE G. SAND). [3]
1 × Collège (COLLEGE ANTOINE DE ST EXUPERY). [3]
4 × GP (médecin généraliste) (BENOIT PROVENT, MÉDECIN · ADELINE REGNIER, MÉDECIN · PHILIPPE MURE, MÉDECIN · PIERRE-MARIE MARIOTTINI, MÉDECIN). [3]
1 × Pharmacy. [3,4]
1 × Post office / agence postale (LA POSTE). [3]
1 × Library (MÉDIATHÈQUE COMMUNAUTAIRE DE VARENNES-SUR-ALLIER). [3]
1 × Gym / sports hall (SALLE OMNISPORTS). [3]
3 × Bank (CAISSE D'EPARGNE ECUREUIL · CAISSE LOCALE DE VARENNES SUR ALLIER · CAISSE REG CREDIT AGRIC MUT CTRE FRANCE). [3]
6 × Hairdresser (DOMINIQUE COIFFURE · S.B. 03 · LES FEES DE BEAUTE · JAD'HAIR · M& VOS CHEVEUX). [3,4]
5 × Fuel station (STATION SERVICE). [3,4]
1 × Hotel. [3,4]
Not counted, because the business register records them as closed: 1 × Butcher (boucherie), 2 × Grocery (épicerie / supérette), 1 × Restaurant, 2 × Pharmacy, 1 × Hairdresser, 1 × Hotel.
Not found in the commune: Grocery (épicerie / supérette). [3]
All 25 service types, with per-source counts
| Type | Count | Names | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakery (boulangerie) | 4 | CEREALE ATTITUDE · DOUCEURS VARENNOISES | INSEE BPE 4 / INSEE SIRENE 3 [3,4] |
| Butcher (boucherie) | 1 | BOUCHERIE NARBOUX | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [3,4] |
| Grocery (épicerie / supérette) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3] | |
| Supermarket | 2 | LIDL · CARREFOUR MARKET | INSEE BPE 2 / INSEE SIRENE 2 [3,4] |
| Cheese shop (fromagerie) | 0 | INSEE SIRENE 0 [4] | |
| Fishmonger | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Restaurant | 7 | LE DAUPHIN · LA REGALETTE · PIZZA PARMA · STELIN · SO GOOD SANDWICHS | INSEE BPE 7 / INSEE SIRENE 17 [3,4] |
| Café / bar | 5 | BAR BALKAN GRILL · CHEZ JEROME · LES LANDIERS · THE BOX | INSEE SIRENE 5 [4] |
| Nursery school (maternelle) | 2 | ECOLE MATERNELLE PUBLIQUE LES 4 VENTS · ECOLE MATERNELLE PUBLIQUE LES 2 ERABLES | INSEE BPE 2 [3] |
| Primary school (élémentaire) | 1 | ECOLE ELEMENTAIRE PUBLIQUE G. SAND | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Collège | 1 | COLLEGE ANTOINE DE ST EXUPERY | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| GP (médecin généraliste) | 4 | BENOIT PROVENT, MÉDECIN · ADELINE REGNIER, MÉDECIN · PHILIPPE MURE, MÉDECIN · PIERRE-MARIE MARIOTTINI, MÉDECIN | INSEE BPE 4 [3] |
| Pharmacy | 1 | INSEE SIRENE 1 / INSEE BPE 0 [3,4] | |
| Nurse | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Dentist | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Post office / agence postale | 1 | LA POSTE | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Library | 1 | MÉDIATHÈQUE COMMUNAUTAIRE DE VARENNES-SUR-ALLIER | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Cinema | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Gym / sports hall | 1 | SALLE OMNISPORTS | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Swimming pool | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Bank | 3 | CAISSE D'EPARGNE ECUREUIL · CAISSE LOCALE DE VARENNES SUR ALLIER · CAISSE REG CREDIT AGRIC MUT CTRE FRANCE | INSEE BPE 3 [3] |
| Hairdresser | 6 | DOMINIQUE COIFFURE · S.B. 03 · LES FEES DE BEAUTE · JAD'HAIR · M& VOS CHEVEUX | INSEE BPE 6 / INSEE SIRENE 6 [3,4] |
| Fuel station | 5 | STATION SERVICE | INSEE BPE 5 / INSEE SIRENE 6 [3,4] |
| Hotel | 1 | INSEE SIRENE 1 / INSEE BPE 0 [3,4] | |
| Campsite | 0 | INSEE SIRENE 1 / INSEE BPE 0 [4] |
Market and village life
Weekly market (reported, unverified): Tuesday. [5]
Trajectory
Population 3,542 (2012) → 3,549 (2023): 0.2 % over 10 years. [6,1]
Population 4,413 (1990) → 3,549 (2023): -19.6 % over 30 years. [7,1]
Dwellings (2023): 2,142, of which 0.9 % second homes and 16.3 % vacant. [8]
Access and surroundings
Which way the everyday services lie
Bakery (Varennes-sur-Allier): 0.1 km to the south-west (straight line). [9]
Food shop (Varennes-sur-Allier): 0.2 km to the south-west (straight line). [9]
GP (Varennes-sur-Allier): 0.2 km to the south-east (straight line). [9]
Pharmacy (Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule): 8.7 km to the west (straight line). [10]
Primary school (Varennes-sur-Allier): 0.1 km to the north (straight line). [9]
Climate
Where this sits nationally
An average of 29 days a year at or above 30 °C and 66 days at or below 0 °C, over 30 complete years in 1995–2024. [11]
Measured at the PARAY-SOUS-BRIAILLES weather station, 6 km away at 245 m; the village itself is at 246 m. [11]
Muggy days — a dew point at or above 18 °C — average 3 days a summer. [11]
Humidity measured at FERTE-HAUTERIVE, 9 km away at 226 m, over 17 summers. [11]
An average of 736 mm of rain a year, spread over 108 days — about 6.8 mm on a day it rains. [11]
Rainfall measured at MONTOLDRE, 3.9 km away at 280 m. Rainfall is not adjusted for altitude: unlike temperature it has no simple gradient to correct by. [11]
Uncertainties
sources disagree on Restaurant
The market day comes from DATAtourisme and has not been confirmed by a second source. [5]
References
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 03298/2023
- INSEE density grid 2026
- INSEE BPE 2025
- INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
- DATAtourisme 2024-01— https://data.datatourisme.fr/13/3fbead3b-bc35-33aa-98a8-a5cdaecc2f05— “Marché local - le mardi.”(unverified)
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 03298/2012
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 03298/1990
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 03298/logement/2023
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 03298
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 03254
- Météo-France daily climatology 1995-2024
Villages like this one
Matched on size, density, second homes and which everyday shops and services are present — not on the score, so a village of the same kind that is doing better or worse shows up rather than being hidden.
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nogent | 52 | 240 km NE | 3,550 | 41 | Partly served | Cooler summers, similar winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 49 % · winter 93 % · humidity 86 % |
| La Chapelle-Saint-Ursin | 18 | 117 km NW | 3,681 | 45.8 | Partly served | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 74 % · winter 69 % · humidity 86 % |
| Apprieu | 38 | 192 km SE | 3,615 | 47.2 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 85 % · humidity 86 % |
| Landrecies | 59 | 424 km N | 3,407 | 44.9 | Partly served | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 46 % · winter 80 % · humidity 86 % |
| Saint-André-de-Corcy | 01 | 127 km E | 3,370 | 50.8 | Partly served | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 84 % · humidity 93 % |
| Vouillé | 86 | 251 km W | 3,697 | 51.6 | Partly served | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 79 % · winter 76 % · humidity 93 % |
Order by distance instead
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Chapelle-Saint-Ursin | 18 | 117 km NW | 3,681 | 45.8 | Partly served | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 74 % · winter 69 % · humidity 86 % |
| Saint-André-de-Corcy | 01 | 127 km E | 3,370 | 50.8 | Partly served | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 84 % · humidity 93 % |
| Apprieu | 38 | 192 km SE | 3,615 | 47.2 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 85 % · humidity 86 % |
| Nogent | 52 | 240 km NE | 3,550 | 41 | Partly served | Cooler summers, similar winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 49 % · winter 93 % · humidity 86 % |
| Vouillé | 86 | 251 km W | 3,697 | 51.6 | Partly served | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 79 % · winter 76 % · humidity 93 % |
| Landrecies | 59 | 424 km N | 3,407 | 44.9 | Partly served | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 46 % · winter 80 % · humidity 86 % |
Sort and compare these on the full list →
…and in much the same climate
The same match on size and services, narrowed to communes whose summers, winters and summer humidity are all close to Varennes-sur-Allier's. All three are required, so this section is absent for the 11.8 % of communes with no humidity station near enough to measure: two temperature axes alone cannot tell a muggy coast from a dry one.
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apprieu | 38 | 192 km SE | 3,615 | 47.2 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 85 % · humidity 86 % |
| Soultz-sous-Forêts | 67 | 445 km NE | 3,121 | 54.9 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · winter 100 % · humidity 93 % |
| Betschdorf | 67 | 443 km NE | 4,231 | 45.4 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · winter 100 % · humidity 93 % |
| Ennezat | 63 | 48 km S | 2,748 | 60.1 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 90 % · winter 96 % · humidity 93 % |
| Montrevel-en-Bresse | 01 | 133 km E | 2,743 | 72.1 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · winter 96 % · humidity 100 % |
| Morestel | 38 | 175 km SE | 4,340 | 67.3 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 89 % · humidity 100 % |
Elsewhere
Commune website · Wikipedia (en) ·Wikipedia (fr) · INSEE dossier complet · OpenStreetMap · Web search · Map
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/03298-varennes-sur-allier